Alex was struggling to forget about Emily, but she had to get back out there, or she’d just spend the rest of the year wallowing in her bad luck.
So, she was at one of the best seafood restaurants in Miami, on a date on a Friday night, and she was almost enjoying herself. There was a gentle breeze blowing in off the ocean, just enough to lift Stacey’s blond hair away from her face. The food had been delicious, and the company fun.
The person who set them up had thankfully kept both of their expectations low. Only a few months ago Stacey had broken up with her girlfriend, so the goal of tonight was more to get comfortable with the idea of dating again. And based on those standards, tonight was going pretty well.
That was, until Alex tilted her head back to take sip of wine and spotted Emily out of the corner of her eye on the other side of the outdoor seating area. She was sitting across from a man that Alex recognized, probably someone from college, and Alex couldn’t stop the burning sensation that settled in her chest.
She was jealous. And she didn’t even know if she should be, because she actually had no idea whether Emily was gay or bi or pan, and there was another example of how little she’d managed to learn about Emily in the weeks they were together.
At least, Alex would be leaving shortly. They were finishing their desserts, and Stacey had caught the attention of their waiter so they could settle the bill.
“I’m just going to find the restrooms,” Alex said as she stood up and headed inside.
She imagined that they’d go their separate ways when they left the restaurant. She was making progress, but not that much. She could barely think about kissing someone else, never mind sleeping with them.
She took another look in Emily’s direction, her hands clasped beside her cheek as she listened intently to what the man across from her was saying.
Alex hated that she was jealous, but she just couldn’t shake that feeling.
That looked like a date, and it made Alex sick.
That should be her.
But it wasn’t.
And the best she could hope for right now was that Emily didn’t leave in the summer.
Because if she stayed, Alex would have graduated, and there was no reason why they couldn’t go back to seeing one another again.
But the thought of Emily staying for another reason, for another person left Alex with a lump in her throat.
21
Emily had nearly turned down Ryan’s invitation to have dinner tonight. She was tired after another long week, and the idea that things might get better was starting to fade with each passing week.
It had been two months since she’d told Alex that they had to end things, and she was as sick today as she was that night.
Over the last few weeks, Ryan had become a good friend, and it turned out that she needed that. She was missing Gabby, especially because she never gave her the full story about Alex. She couldn’t say it out loud. That Alex was her student now.
So, she was putting on a brave face, skipping over any mention of who she was dating and updating Gabby on every single other thing that was going on in her life and what new part of Miami she’d discovered since their last call.
It was good to have someone like Ryan here. He didn’t know about Alex either, but both Ryan and his boyfriend knew that she’d had a bad break up. They probably thought she was still referring to her divorce, but she’d been talking about Alex, because even though they hadn’t been together long, this was somehow harder than her divorce was.
Probably because it was her fault. She’d been the one to end it.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Emily said once their plates had been taken away. “Make sure you get the dessert menu,” she added with a smile as she got up.
“Oh, I was going to,” Ryan said with a laugh.
Emily left the outdoor area and followed the signs for the restrooms, turning down a hall to the right when someone pulled open the restroom door just as she was about to push it, sending Emily falling into the room, and then there were arms around her, bracing her fall.
When Emily opened her mouth to thank the woman, her breath caught, her eyes meeting Alex’s, and for a moment she forgot to breathe.
“Sorry,” Alex said, her hands sliding away from Emily’s waist, her eyes raking over her. “You’re wearing a dress.” Her voice was soft, her eyes lifting to meet Emily’s. “Are you on a date?”
Emily’s eyebrows lifted. There was no aggression in Alex’s voice, but the question caught her off guard. “No. Ryan’s a friend.” And then a thought filtered in through the daze she found herself in. “Are you? Here on a date, I mean.” Alex was wearing black jeans and a red scoop-neck blouse.
“Yeah.”
